In an era of network effects, the sheer size of India makes her platform economies central to the global digital economy. The overarching aim of this two day conference is to advance inter-disciplinary debates on the social impact, cultural dynamics and economic potentials of platform business models in India. We will address critical questions of urban infrastructure, entrepreneurship and labour conditions, human rights, governance and public services, culture and consumption, business law, platform ownership and regulation, and in all these dimensions: the founding propositions of equity and social justice.
Sponsored by: SPARC Programme, Ministry of Human Resource Development, Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities, University of Queensland
Keynote Speakers: Aditi Surie (Indian Institute for Human Settlements) and R. Srinivasan (IIM, Bangalore).
Organizing Committee: Shishir K. Jha (Centre for Policy Studies, IIT Bombay), Adrian Athique (University of Queensland), Vigneswara Illavarasan (IIT Delhi), Scott Fitzgerald (Curtin University), Pradip Thomas (University of Queensland)
Schedule for Day One: Wednesday 26th February
9.30 Welcome: Shishir K. Jha
10.00 Opening Address: Digital Emporiums: Platform Ecosystems in India Adrian Athique, University of Queensland
11.00 Tea
11.15 Keynote: Platforms and the Platform Economy: the ‘Southern’ Urban Turn Aditi Surie, IHSS, Bangalore
12.15 Lunch
13.15 Panel 1: Platform Labour
Chair: Aditi Surie, IHSS Bangalore
Understanding Algorithmic Hail Riding Management using Agency Theory Ravinder Kumar Verma, P. Vigneswara Ilavarasan, Arpan Kumar Kar, IIT Delhi
“Aiming for the big pot”: Examining the Organization of Work in a Food Delivery Platform. Pradyumna Taduri, IIIT Bangalore
The Hidden Forces of Uberisation : An ethnographic study of Uber drivers in India Ujjwal Sehrawat, IIIT Delhi
14.30 Tea
14.45 Panel 2: Platform Users
Chair: Adrian Athique, University of Queensland
How Social Interests of Generation Z are Shaping Opinions About Social Media Platforms Mohina Gandhi, Apurva Jha, Vigneswara Ilavarasan, Arpan Kumar Kar – IIT Delhi.
Matrimonial Platforms, Social Economies and User Experiences in India Chetna Monga – FLAME University Pune
Study of the User perspective on the Factors Affecting the Mobile Transfer Payment in the Rural Area of Sonipat District , Haryana. Alka Chaudhary – Gautam Buddha University
16:00 Panel 3: Platform Cultures
Chair: Akshaya Kumar, IIT Indore
Digital Platforms and Minority Language Media: Mapping the Contours of Lambadi/Banjara Digital Media Landscape in Telangana E. Sathya Prakash Reddy – University of Hyderabad
Scaling Cultures: Comparing Bhojpuri and Himachali presence on Digital Platforms Ratnakar Tripathy – ADRI, Patna
Platforms, Strategic Partnerships and Content Strategies in the New Bollywood Scott Fitzgerald – Curtin University
Schedule for Day Two: Thursday 27th February
9.30 CPS Plenary: Engaging with the Platform Economy
Shishir K. Jha, Vidya Subramanian, Vishnu Poruthiyil, Uttara Purandare, Centre for Policy Studies – IIT Bombay
10.45 Keynote: Platform Labour Archetypes in India Srinivasan R, Bibha Nayak and Rasuka Kishore – Indian Institute of Management Bangalore
11.45 Tea
12.00 Panel 4: Platform Governance
Chair: Vibodh Parthasarathi –Jamia Millia Islamia
Data Protection and Data Sovereignty: Strange Bedfellows in India’s Digital Economy Pawan Singh – Deakin University
Role of Government-owned Platforms in Enhancing Citizen Participation: Lessons from mygov.in Angela Susan Mathew, P. Vigneswara Ilavarasan, M. P. Gupta – IIT Delhi
Seller competition on Two-Sided Platforms Neaketa Chawla – IIT Delhi
13:15 Lunch
14:00 Panel 5: Platform Capitalism
Chair: Vigneswara Ilavarasan- IIT Delhi
Immediacy and Hypermediacy in Platform Economies Akshaya Kumar – IIT Indore
Digital Platforms as co-creators of Physical space: A Lefebvrian approach Ujjwal Kango, Agam Gupta, Divya Sharma, Ankita Singh – IIM Calcutta and IIT Delhi
Capitalism, Socialism, or a New Mode of Production?: The Dilemma of the Platform Economy
Ujjwal Kango, Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta
15.30 Close:
The Limits of Platformisation Vibodh Parthasarathi, Jamia Millia Islamia